


Strange Bedfellows

by ShiTiger



Series: IT fics and ficlets [3]
Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Angst, Fluff and Angst, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-15
Updated: 2017-11-15
Packaged: 2019-02-03 01:56:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12738684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShiTiger/pseuds/ShiTiger
Summary: Seventeen-year-old Bill wakes to the sight of his little (dead) brother Georgie next to his bed.  Again.





	Strange Bedfellows

“Billy, wake up.  I miss you, Billy.”

Bill struggled to open his eyes, eyeing the clock next to his bed that was glowing 3:33.  In a daze, he rolled over to see a familiar little boy in a yellow raincoat standing next to his bed.

“Won’t you play with me, Billy?”

The teenager groaned aloud, tempted to bury his head under the pillow to block out the creature’s voice.  The clown was visiting him - AGAIN - for the fifth night in a row.  It wasn’t strong enough to actually attack him, but it certainly loved to toy with his feelings for his dead little brother. 

Flopping onto his back, Bill gave the ceiling a half-hearted glare. “It’s too freakin’ early in the morning for this.”

“Billy?” the creature pleaded with his brother’s voice.

The young man pushed off the covers and stood up, still half asleep as he towered over the figure that had haunted his nightmares for years.  The initial uncertainty he’d felt at the sight of the little boy next to his bed was now replaced by a wave of sadness and nostalgia.  God, he missed his brother so much.  So damn much!

So, rather than attempting to bash the creature masquerading as Georgie in the head, as he had on the previous nights, Billy found himself kneeling down in front of it.  Long fingers traced over the raincoat, undoing the buttons one by one.  The silence stretched between them as the young man worked the slicker off his fake-brother, and tossed it to the side.  Emotionless green eyes trailed up the boy’s body until he was eye-to-eye with the monster from the sewers.  They stared at each other, and Billy imagined that he could see a trace of confusion in those brown eyes.

In one quick movement, the elder boy picked the younger one up by the waist, and set him down on the edge of the bed.  “Boots,” Billy muttered under his breath, pulling the red rainboots from the child’s feet, and dropping them near the yellow jacket. 

“This is new, Billy-boy,” the creature finally spoke, twisting Georgie’s lips into an unwelcome smirk.

Billy didn’t answer.  If he had been wide awake, he would have seriously questioned doing this.  It was insane!  This creature killed children – it had **_KILLED HIS BROTHER_** , but he wasn’t thinking of that now.  All he knew, in his sleep-fogged mind, was that he missed Georgie so deeply that he was willing to pretend for one night. 

So, with surprising tenderness, the young man tucked the creature wearing his brother’s form into his bed, and crawled in next to it.  Pulling the covers over them both, he soon found himself wrapping his arms around the fake-child and pulling it close, until he could rest his chin on the boy’s light-brown curls. 

“I know you’re not Georgie.  But it’s three in the morning, and I’m too tired for your games. Just… let me pretend, for tonight, that my brother is still alive and safe.” Pressing his lips against the boy’s soft hair, he pleaded with the ancient evil being known as Pennywise with a single, whispered,

**_“Please.”_ **

* * *

Pennywise lay frozen in the teenager’s arms, unable to utter a single word.  As the minutes ticked by, it listened as the boy’s breathing evened out until he was asleep once again.  The young man’s arms loosened, but the ancient creature could not bring itself to move.  Never before, in all its endless existence, had anyone assumed to take such liberties with it.  Billy-boy had not only fallen asleep next to his greatest enemy, but he’d proceeded to invite that evil into his own bed!

And this _hugging_ thing.  It was very strange.  The creature sniffed, burrowing its nose into the older boy’s shirt-covered chest.  It could smell the shampoo lingering in his hair, and the blood rushing through his veins.  It twisted its head to press an ear against the teenager’s chest, listening to the steady heartbeat, pulsing with life, as the boy continued to sleep next to it without concern.

If Maturin could see IT now, it was sure the turtle would be laughing in amusement. 

Still, this wasn’t so bad.  Billy-boy was far too tired for the games it longed to play with its favorite future-meal.  Just this once, it would allow him to pretend that the world was a benign place without monsters lurking the shadows.

* * *

Bill slammed his hand down on the alarm clock after listening to it beep for what seemed like an eternity.  IT had interrupted his sleep every night that...  The young man’s eyes widened as the memories of the early hours returned to him. 

Shoving himself up, his green eyes raced around the room to see if IT was still around.  The creature was gone, along with the raincoat and boots that had been piled on the floor.  Rubbing a hand through his hair, the teenager proceeded to get dressed for school.  He could deal with the consequences of his actions later. 

In his still-exhausted state, Bill failed to notice the glowing yellow eyes watching him from the depths of his closet.

* * *

  **Epilogue**

“Billy, can I sleep with you tonight?”

The teenager blinked sleepily at the little boy next to his bed.  Sighing, he lifted the covers and let the child-thing crawl underneath – unsurprised when it proceeded to cuddle close to his chest.  “Fine, but don’t drool on me.”

 “No promises,” the boy hissed in a voice that shouldn’t have come from the throat of what appeared to be an innocent 7-year-old.

“And I still hate you,” Bill added grumpily, eyeing the creature in his arms.

“The feeling is mutual,” the monster replied. 

It took longer to fall asleep than the previous night, but Bill figured Pennywise would prefer to kill him when he was properly awake and willing to fight back.  Murdering him in his sleep just wasn’t ITS thing.

**Author's Note:**

> An AU idea that assumes the Losers Club didn’t forget about their not-so-friendly neighborhood monster, and remained friends for life.


End file.
